Out of nowhere, the sweet melody of her phone's ringtone snapped Evangeline back to reality. She stared at the name dancing on the screen, hesitated for just a second, and then accepted the call."Make it quick, and don't mess with my downtime!" She was not in the mood for Walter's rambling and made that clear right off the bat.To her surprise, it was not Walter's voice on the other end."Evangeline, do you always boss around Mr. Walter Gordon like this?" Caden's voice came through, laced with an awkward chuckle.Evangeline's lips quirked up in a half-smile.Was it fate that the first time she flexed her muscles with Walter, Caden had to be the one to catch it?"Spit it out."She had laid down the law, and Caden was not about to forget it.Evangeline maintained her cool facade, determined to show nothing but ice.Evangeline's words snapped Caden back to reality, and he could hear the panic creeping into the voice on the other end of the phone."Uh, Evangeline, I'm at Kronovi
Evangeline's gaze hardened into a look that could kill, though clearly not meant for Caden. After all, without his heads-up, she would not have found Walter so fast.All she wanted was to cut off Walter's manhood, to save him from his mess…Then it hit her—Walter's outrageous behavior was meant for her to see.A live show from Walter of the Gordon family was not something she could stumble upon every day. If she caught it on video and posted it online, would she not rake in a whole bunch of new fans?Evangeline did not hesitate and reached for her phone, but in the few seconds she had been lost in thought, the lively room had emptied out. Caden had slipped away when she was not looking.With that, the once noisy space was eerily silent, with just Evangeline and Walter left.Walter somehow found the energy to sit up from the couch, but he was so weak he ended up leaning heavily against Evangeline's shoulder. Evangeline gave a firm shrug. "Walter, snap out of it! If you want to sle
"What's gotten into you?"Evangeline snapped, but Walter's bold proposal replayed in her mind, hard to shake off.Seeing Walter's silly, expectant grin, she suddenly felt a playful urge to mess with him.Considering Walter was usually like a ticking bomb, who would have ever dared to tease him?Things were different. Walter, with his goofy, drunken grin, was just too adorable."Walter, you said you're going to marry me, right? Is that for real?" She boldly pinched Walter's ear, her tone dripping with confidence.In the past, she would not have dared to be so forward.Walter would not remember a thing tomorrow though, so she had nothing to worry about."Yep!" Walter nodded eagerly, like a kid waiting for Evangeline to hand over a piece of candy.He was just too cute!His good looks combined with that expression made Evangeline's heart turn to mush.She stroked her chin, feigning indifference, and asked, "So, what's good about you, huh?""Good about me?" Walter's eyes clouded
Walter's claim was fierce and bossy. His eyes, red and piercing, locked onto Evangeline as if she belonged to him and him alone. Evangeline froze, her heart skipping a beat.How much better would things be if Walter said these words when he was sober? Life never dealt in what-ifs though.Evangeline's eyes fell, and a pang of guilt hit her. She had not meant to tease Walter, not really. She wanted to see him stumble a bit, but somehow, she was the one who ended up getting hurt.She swatted Walter's hand away with a sharp smack and barked out her command. "Can you walk or not? If you can, then get yourself home—now!"The clock had already struck eleven, deep into the night.Evangeline checked the time and, with a heavy sigh, decided to change course. Trey, with his years piling up, would worry himself sick if he knew Walter was very intoxicated.She was not planning on bringing Walter to her place either.Mulling over her options, Evangeline let out a sigh and picked a path at the
Evangeline found Walter snoozing away nude. There was no way she could haul him into bed all by myself."Walter, come on, wake up! If you want to sleep, do it in your room, in a proper bed!"Walter blinked his eyes open, all dazed. What he saw was Evangeline looking down at him with this weird, worried expression.Was he still dreaming? Or maybe he was thinking about the wrong person?They had just had a massive blow-up, so why on earth would Evangeline be fussing over him?He could not believe it and his eyes went wide, his throat bobbing."E—Evangeline?""Who else? Get a move on, will you?"Evangeline gave him an eye roll for the ages, all the while grumbling to herself."I must've been in your debt in a past life or something. It's the middle of the night and I'm not at home sleeping, but out at a bar picking up a lush like you! Only a total brain glitch would make me do something this dumb!"Evangeline, with her slim arms, tried to drag Walter with all the strength she co
As Walter's kisses became more intense, Evangeline's will to fight back kicked in. Panicked, she reached out and gave Walter a fierce pinch under his arm.They sprang apart as if shocked by a bolt of electricity. Walter's dark eyes locked onto her, his breaths coming in heavy gasps. It was only then that Evangeline noticed her shirt buttons had been undone without her realizing it, her chest boldly on display for Walter."Walter, are you an animal? Is there nothing else in your head but this?" Evangeline was livid. Despite being sick and drunk, he just would not keep it together. What made her blood boil was how she herself had been so rattled by his kiss that she nearly lost all sense of reason!That little scuffle seemed to snap Walter out of it. He thought about their earlier fight, about Alex, the elephant in the room, and found himself at a loss for words.Walter was not one to trouble himself, so he silently stepped out of the tub. He dried off, slipped into a robe, and colla
Walter grumbled, clearly annoyed."Come on, you wake up to someone staring you down and you're telling me you wouldn't freak out?"Evangeline was fuming. Not only was Walter not owning up to his odd behaviors, but he was also calling her out for being jumpy!"If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear, right? What's so scary about a little stare?" Walter retorted nonchalantly, but then he casually let his bathrobe fall open in front of Evangeline."Evangeline, I need a good explanation for this!"Evangeline was about to shield her eyes from Walter, the flasher, but his words stopped her cold. She had to see what he was getting at.Pointing a finger at the marks on his tempting neck, Walter did not mince words, "What's the story with these marks? You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you? I was with you the whole night, so I think you owe me some answers about what you did when I was out cold last night!"Evangeline's eyes widened as she followed the direct
Walter's brow was a battlefield of creases. Something about Evangeline's story did not add up. However, the memories of last night were like a movie on repeat in his head, and he could not argue with the playback.Was he really going to confess that seeing Evangeline and Alex all lovey-dovey made him so mad that he dragged Caden out to find some company?He stood up and faced himself in the mirror, staring at the marks on his neck with a mix of anger and nausea.This woman who dared to mark him—she was in for it!"Enough, let's eat," he said, dropping the subject.Walter knew he was at fault and decided to let it go.Evangeline was not interested in rehashing the night either. Actually, she did not want to speak to Walter at all, not one single word.Evangeline's stomach rumbled as she finished freshening up. She had planned to slip away quietly, but the delicious smells wafting from the dining room rooted her to the spot.Walter set the last dish on the table and, with a swift